HODGDON — Students in Mrs. Stephanie Harris’s Language Arts class at Mill Pond School have been focusing on sensory details in their writing. After reading and discussing the children’s book All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan, the writers did some prewriting activities including visualizing their favorite places then creating story maps with sensory details found in this place. They then wrote about their favorite places. Mrs. Harris required students to include alliteration and personification in their pieces. Discussion also focused on the idea that sentence fragments can also be used effectively at times in writing. Below are two ‘Favorite Place’ pieces. The first is written by seventh grader Emily Transue. Inspired by the lesson, Mrs. Karen Sattler, an Ed. Tech.who assists students in the classroom, also wrote about her favorite place.
By Emily Transue
Slowly sauntering, glancing all around me. Not one picture, sculpture, or painting is the same. Like snowflakes, one never like the one before it. That is what makes it so miraculously beautiful.
My favorite place, wonderful and strange all at the same time. Paintings from floor to ceiling. Sculptures as tall as giants. Never-ending portraits. The colors of all these creations screaming at you…yet no sounds. The noise of cars…silenced, the barking of dogs…suppressed. The sounds of the world are hushed.
When you are in this museum the sight of all of this exquisite art leaves you breathless and untroubled. The feeling of this intense passion in all of this art…makes you feel so amazing. Never in my life have I felt so quiet and peaceful.
Why, you may ask, is this my favorite place? The question is, “Why not?” Walking into this inconceivably beautiful gallery filled with works of art created by these unbelievable artists is just so awesome. Beauty at its best is what I call it.
My favorite place is now just a memory I visit on occasion. Although this place actually still exists, it lacks the very essence that makes it my special place…my mom and dad.
Their lake house on Little Alum was a sanctuary for me. Sitting on the slope of a hill, the entire lake spreads out and encompasses your full range of vision. In the peace of the early morning, the sun slips slowly above the horizon creating a rainbow of color in the fog that floats just above the water’s surface. The water is still and undisturbed…until the small family of ducks begins its morning rounds. The little ducklings follow so closely and in such perfect formation that one might believe they were joined head to tail. Their soft chatter carries across the water in announcement, “We’re here! Bring out the bread!”
Little Alum awakens with a spattering of familiar sounds. The laughter of children as they gather for another day of fun and exploration, the purr of boat motors as the fishermen begin the daily pursuit of “the big one,” and the cacophony of calls of the collection of birds as they dart from bush to branch and tree to tree all set my ears to tingling.
By now, the sweet aroma of the coffee tickles my nose. I grab my mug and head for the comfort of the front deck. I close my eyes and feel the sun begin to warm my face. I smile. The scent of pine trees wafts past my nose just as I sniff the unforgettable smell of bacon cooking. I feel like one of those cartoon characters who rises and floats along the smoky scent of the food they love! This is my favorite part of the day!
I sit down and examine the feast before me. The bacon is slightly crisp, slightly chewy, the eggs are scrambled and dry (no runny eggs for me), and the toast is browned to perfection and slathered in melting butter. It is sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and just waiting for me to hoist it to my mouth for that first scrumptious bite. I bow my head in thanks, and when I lift my eyes again, my sanctuary is complete. I am met with the loving gaze of my parents. Their eyes twinkle and smile with the simple joy of this special moment. Our conversation comes easily and we begin to share our hopes and plans for the day that lies ahead.
There is such comfort in their company! I know that I am loved completely and unconditionally for the woman they have molded and shaped since the days of my youth. Their pride in me is evident. I guess my favorite place, my sanctuary, is really not a place, but the presence of two people who I can now only visit on the wings of a memory. I thank God for the blessing of memories!
